


Sand Art

by SolidMercury



Category: Original Work
Genre: Family, Family Issues, Hope, Hopeful Ending, Metaphors
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-16 19:49:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29705706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SolidMercury/pseuds/SolidMercury
Summary: Many of the great things in the world are not at all what they were originally intended to be.  Maybe that can be me.
Comments: 1





	Sand Art

I think my dad saw parenting how a stone sculptor sees their art. 

You start with a block of stone, rough and unpolished but full of potential. Nobody knows what it could hold, what it could become. All it is is the artist's vision and too many possibilities to count. 

Something doesn’t look right, doesn’t fit with the vision, so the artist just chips it away in a puff of sandy stone dust, his tongue between his teeth, assessing. 

He chips off a piece for how I dress and another for how I do my hair.

No big deal, plenty of stone left to work with.

He chips off a piece for the things that I believe that he doesn’t, who knew opinions could be so wrong? 

Sand accumulates on the floor and the sculpture gets smaller and smaller. It’s supposed to be becoming more perfect as time goes on, but who defines perfect? 

The artist cocks his head, his eyes narrowed, he’s making progress but there is still work to be done.

There goes another piece for what I wanted to do, the places I wanted to go.

And an even bigger piece is next, the piece that was for the things that I love that he doesn't. 

Dust and sand are getting thicker in the air. It’s hard to breathe but somehow the artist’s vision is still clear. There is still work to be done.

Next is the biggest piece yet, the one that could have been confidence. Maybe that one he didn’t even mean to chip away. But it’s too late now, you can’t superglue a sculpture. 

Another chip here and there, 1,000 little chips in total, no one chip was too big but suddenly the sculpture is gone.

Interestingly enough, the sculptor has other statues, they even seem to have turned out the way he wanted.

Everyone messes up sometimes I suppose, even the best of artists, they just have to put it aside. Move on.

But me? Well, I guess it’s time to scoop up the sand from the floor and be my own artist. 

Maybe I’ll start by putting dyes in the stone dust... maybe colorful sand art is for me?

The original artist will hate it, but I don’t think I will.


End file.
